BELLE Capital USA, LP, is an early-stage angel fund focused on building great companies in underserved capital markets across the U.S. The company invests in companies with female founders or C-level executives and focuses on the information technology and digital health industries.

The Allstate Mentoring Program helps diverse business owners strengthen their businesses through a series of live and virtual sessions focused on leadership and employee development, financial management, sales and marketing, and technology improvement sessions. The program provides an opportunity for businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender community to build relationships with Allstate and Allstate’s prime suppliers.

The Ford Technical Assistance Program assists Ford’s minority, women, and veteran-owned suppliers. This program places retired automotive industry employees or industry consultants with minority, women, and veteran-owned suppliers to assist them in improving their business processes and solving short-term problems.

The Illinois Corporate Startup Challenge assembles a class of Fortune 1000 corporations on a semiannual basis and pairs them with start-up companies that address their innovation needs through a highly curated matchmaking process. By better connecting the corporate world to the entrepreneurial community, the Corporate Startup Challenge aims to foster more innovation but also advance a stronger Illinois economy.

Resource: Coca-Cola’s Supplier Development Program
Hosted by: Coca-Cola Company
To learn more contact: http://supplierdiversity.coke.com/SitePages/Programs.aspx

Coca-Cola’s Supplier Development Program focuses on improving the effectiveness of the diverse suppliers (women, minority, LGBT, SDV) to meet the needs of the Coca-Cola Company and to create conditions for them to competitively seek contracts. The program will analyze an entrepreneur’s current business practices, market strategy and financial position and create an Individual Development Plan (IDP). The supplier program offers a wide range of resource support including executive education, operational excellent coaches, and mentoring by industry leaders to ensure areas identified for development are addressed.

Resource: WBENC Matchmaker Series
Hosted by: Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
To learn more contact: http://www.wbenc.org/matchmaker-series/

Women’s Business Enterprise National Council provides formal matchmaking events to connect corporate and government representatives to WBENC-certified Women’s Business Enterprises (WBE). Matchmaking events are held two times a year.

Resource: The Workshop at Macy’s
Hosted by: Macy’s
To learn more contact: http://workshop.macysinc.com/

The Workshop at Macy’s is an exclusive retail vendor development program designed to give select high-potential minority and/or women business owners the tools to better succeed and sustain growth in the retail industry.

ScaleUp Roanoke Valley is designed to help growth-oriented and underserved high-potential entrepreneurs scale their businesses. The program consists of roundtables, management support, training, and networking access for business in the Valley to help them grow and develop.

Edward Lowe Foundation hosts leader retreats at Big Rock Valley. Leader retreats are organized by founders for their teams and facilitated to help businesses address the unique challenges that they encounter during second-stage growth, such as building strong management teams, developing internal infrastructure, and managing organizational change. The program targets founders, owners, and key executives with the goal of helping them develop the skill set needed to scale the business.

Resource: Emerging Leaders
Hosted by: Small Business Administration
To learn more contact: https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-initiatives/sba-emerging-leaders-initiative

The SBA Emerging Leaders Initiative is a federal training initiative that specifically focuses on executives of businesses poised for growth in historically challenged communities. The initiative provides these executives with the organizational framework, resource network, and motivation required to build sustainable businesses and promote the economic development within urban communities.